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Day in the Life

Discover the best profession for your skills and interests with in-depth profession overviews. Gain insight on the main duties of each profession, the work environment, training requirements, advancement prospects and more.

Things start early. Get into the office, check voice mail and go through contact database to line up cold calls for the day. Scan the Wall Street Journal or the local paper's business section to see if clients, prospects or other relevant industry news are mentioned in the paper. Remind self about working on commission and motivate.

In the 20-plus years I’ve worked in journalism, public relations and human resources, I never imagined that one of the most rewarding aspects of my career would be a project whose name sounds a like a cartoon explosion:KaBOOM!

In this role, Jen Moeller oversees all aspects of the company’s marketing, social media and communications strategy and assists with developing innovative new initiatives that inspire healthier behaviors and encourage members to find their own wellness path.

Chris Thompson is an account management professional who has worked for the past 15 years at agencies large (DDB and Publicis) and small (Duncan/Channon and Traction). He’s one of the few advertising professionals to actually graduate with a degree in advertising (from San Jose State University). He finds passion in helping clients solve problems and has led the development of brand strategies and communication programs for a diverse set of clients, such as Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Virtustream Cloud Computing, InTune Hearing Aids, and Hard Rock Cafes, Casinos and Hotels, to name only a few.
Every day is different in this business and particularly so in account management. And of course, the day doesn’t flow as smoothly as it is described below, but you get the idea. So, let’s look at a day in the life from the perspective of an account director in a midsized, independent agency.

Jessica Rothman went to the State University of New York at Purchase and received a degree in Set Design. Shortly after graduating, she started working at BBDO in the studio as "The Girl Who Cut the Boards." During her four-year tenure there Jessica worked her way up to lead graphic designer for the Digital Presentations Department. She now works at Publicis USA's headquarters in New York as the graphic designer for all U.S.A. new business, creating RFPs, posters, books, headsheets, presentations, etc. In her free time she does myriad other creative things: paints murals, makes bead-woven jewelry, designs Web ads and logos, creates home décor like mirrors, and draws illustrations for books. Jessica's work can be found at www.design-newyork.com.

An assistant account executive supports the account executive. They spend most of their time coordinating work, compiling information, doing research, and undertaking other time-intensive tasks to help the account executive succeed. They have some contact with clients. A typical day on the job for an assistant account executive at a mid-sized ad agency includes a variety of tasks.

Art directors are responsible for designing and creating advertisements for print, digital, and other media. They develop the overall look of a campaign and manage all the details of executing it in coordination with the account executive and the client. Art directors must juggle creativity with business practicalities.